The inside scoop on food in Los Angeles

Small Bites: The Park serves lunch, Cafe Was gets wasted, Patina ends the tyranny of corkage

February 19, 2009 | 6:47
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Midday munchin': The Park in Echo Park will begin serving lunch this Tuesday from 11:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. You can partake of the offerings Tuesdays through Fridays. The menu will be up on the Park's website shortly and is heavy on soup, sandwiches and salads. The Park, 1400 Sunset Blvd., L.A. (213) 482-9209. www.thepark1400sunset.com.

Wino Wednesdays becomes wino always: Earlier this month, Ivan Kane's Cafe Was (purveyor of wacky news releases and amusing promotions) began offering something called "wino Wednesdays" when bottles of wine could be had at half price. Then yesterday brought an even better announcement: The fun-loving restaurant at Hollywood and Vine is now offering all-you-can-drink ("bottomless") carafes of house wine for $15 per person every night of the ever-lovin' week. Out-of-hand drunkenness to be expected in short order. (Note to Cafe Was: We now forgive you for your ridiculous "brown bag" bottle-service ploy.) Ivan Kane's Cafe Was, 1521 N. Vine St., Hollywood. (323) 466-5400. www.cafewas.com.

Corkage, be gone: Much like Cafe Was, the Patina Restaurant Group has also turned what was meant to be a short-term promotion into a long-term customer magnet. After offering 25 % off all bottles of wine through the end of this month, Patina is now doing away with corkage fees entirely at all of its restaurants (except its downtown Patina location) through the end of 2009. Maybe by then the recession will be over and we'll all be bathing in wine and giving Champagne to our cats. For locations of participating restaurants, go to www.patinagroup.com.